Steelheart
by Kid Icarus Girl
Summary: On their journey to find the Philosopher Stone, Edward and Alphonse Elric stumble upon a young girl by the name of Rina Jaris who has a past she refuses to share. As they journey, she slowly begins to trust in the boys, and they in her. When they are all put in danger, and Rina's life is on the line, will they be able to save her- and their own skin, too?
1. Chapter 1

"Al, can you see anything?" Edward asked wearily as he trudged alongside his seemingly tireless brother. "I'm just about ready to collapse in a heap. We've _got _to find a place to stay."

Alphonse stopped and looked down at his older brother. "I could carry you, if you like." He offered. "The work doesn't affect me one bit." Ed merely shook his head.

"I can tough it out a little longer." Was his reply.

Al's soul had been bound to a suit of armor by his older brother Edward nearly four years ago after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother using Alchemy. Edward lost his right arm and a leg, while Alphonse hadn't been so lucky. The laws of Alchemy- equivalent exchange- had taken his body. With the last of his energy, Edward sealed his brother's soul to the nearest thing he could find- a suit of armor. Since then, the two of them had been searching for the Philosopher Stone- a stone which would allow the one who possessed it to ignore the laws of Alchemy- in order to restore their bodies and bring their mother back from the dead.

For many days, the Elric brothers had been wandering through endless forest, looking for a nearby town to take temporary refuge in- even though it would make them sitting ducks.

"Brother," Al began, catching Ed's attention, "do you think that those homunculi will find us?" Ed sighed and looked up at his brother.

"I think we'll be safe for at least a little while. They talk and act like they know our every move- but that's just impossible." He huffed as he lazily swung his suitcase. Seconds after, the grinding of metal on pebbles could be heard.

"Damn it," Edward growled as the suitcase slipped from his hand. "I knew this thing would get jammed up eventually. Rubble from the battle with that kid, no doubt."

Ed slipped the glove off of his right hand, revealing a complex mechanical device called automail. Automail was designed as a mechanical limb replacer for those who had lost limbs in fights- but in Edward's case, equivalent exchange.

Ed pressed a small button on his mechanical arm, popping open the steel casing.

"It's not too bad," Alphonse said to try and make the situation better. Ed growled in response and started picking out the pieces of rubble.

"I can't get this piece out," Edward grunted as he shoved his finger deep into the mess of wires.

"You're going to wreck it doing that, Ed." Alphonse sighed as he tried to move his brother's hand. All he achieved was getting Edward's hand tangled up.

"You idiot, look what you did!" Ed snapped as he tried to wrench his hand out.

"Come on, you're the one who moved yourself when I almost had the stone," Al countered. "Now let me help."  
Edward and Alphonse bickered for a while, eventually starting to wrestle. Al grabbed Ed's real arm, and started to pull, causing his brother to yelp in pain as his nerves were yanked at.

"Stop touching me, you dolt!" Ed snapped, only angering his brother.

"Me, a dolt? You're the one who got your hand stuck in your arm!" Al replied as the two started to stumble off of the path they had followed.

"You know what? If you think you can fix it, go ahead!" Edward snapped as he held his arm out to his little brother. By then it was apparent that their little brawl had done some serious damage. Wires were tangled and disconnected, not to mention that Edward could no longer move his arm at all. When Al didn't respond at all, Ed became even more angry.

"I thought so- you can't do it!" He snapped. As Edward lectured him, Al noticed a quiet whizzing sound- and it was getting louder and closer very fast.

_"An arrow,"_ Al thought as he turned in the direction of the sound.

"Brother," Al shouted, cutting Edward off, "Duck!"

Al grabbed his brother and ducked to the ground, protecting him with his body. The arrow hit the tree with a 'thunk'.

"Oh my gosh, please forgive me!" The voice of a young girl called. Edward wriggled out of Al's grasp to see a young girl- probably around the age of thirteen- running towards them. Her long dark hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid. Her sweater and dark jeans hardly seemed adequate for the wonderfully warm weather. In her gloved hands she held a large bow.

"Hey, watch where you're shooting that thing!" Ed hollered, clearly upset.

"I'm sorry- my bow broke." The girl sighed as she held out her weapon. Indeed, it had. The string had snapped, sending the arrow askew. "Now sweetie, are you hurt anywhere?" She asked as she inspected Edward. She was treating him like a child.

"I'm fifteen." He growled.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" The girl cried. "I thought you were seven."

"Who are you calling so small that an atom could beat him up?!" Ed yelled as Al grabbed him and held him back.

"Excuse my older brother- he's quite sensitive when it comes to his height." Alphonse explained.

"Shut up," Ed growled at his brother.

"He is excused." The girl said with a smile. "Oh, where are my manners- I'm Rina Jaris. I take it that you two are Edward and Alphonse Elric?" She said.

"Yeah! Wait, how do you know about us?" Edward asked. The happy look in Rina's eye seemed to fade for a second.

"I know more than I let on, Fullmetal Alchemist." Rina replied with a wink. The boys stared after her in shock as she spun on her heels and walked away.

"You said you needed a place to stay- if I were you, I'd get a move on." Rina called over her shoulder.

"Y-yes, Ms. Jaris!" Al called as he snatched up his brother and his suitcase.

xXx

"So, you live alone here?" Alphonse asked as the three of them entered a small house near the outskirts of a village.

"For as long as I can remember," Rina replied as she kneeled to the ground. She pressed her palm against the floor, and in a flash of white light, two large beds emerged from the floorboards near the far wall.

"You're an Alchemist- and you don't use a transmutation circle?" Edward asked in astonishment. The only people he knew who could do that were Roy Mustang, his teacher Isume and that brat called Wrath- and himself, of course.

"Yeah- that's my dirty little secret." Rina said with a laugh.

"Ed can do the same thing, Ms. Jaris!" Al exclaimed in excitement

"Shut up, you idiot," Edward whispered, "We don't know if we can trust her."

"If you can't trust me, who _can _you trust?" Rina asked. She was now standing directly in front of Edward, letting him know how short he really was. Edward cast his gaze to the ground. As much as he hated admitting it, she had a point.

"Alright, we've reached an understanding," Rina said with a smirk as she turned around and walked off to the kitchen.

"And don't call me 'Ms. Jaris- it makes me feel older than I really am." She hollered as she disappeared behind the corner.

"She seems nice enough," Al said as he sat down on one of the beds.

"I guess," Ed sighed as he set his suitcase on the opposite bed.

"Hey Al," He called as he sat down and started examining his automail once again.

"Yes brother?" Al answered.

"Did you notice anything odd about the way Rina walks?" Ed asked as he searched for any sign of a reaction from his brother.

"Come to think of it, yes." He answered. "She wobbles a bit when she walks."

"That's because her leg's been replaced by automail. She hasn't seemed to get the hang of using it, though." Ed explained.

"I haven't gotten the hang of using what?" Rina asked. The boys turned around to see her standing with two steaming bowls of rich soup.

"Fresh food…!" Ed gasped. "Never mind that for now- let's go and eat!"

The two boys sat at Rina's small table; the sound of slurping filled the room. Edward had blown through five bowls of the soup, while Alphonse hadn't touched his at all.

"Now what were you talking about earlier?" Rina asked as she joined them. She had changed into a long brown trench coat.

"We noticed that your leg has been replaced by automail." Edward said awkwardly.

"And I noticed that both your arm and leg have been replaced by automail as well." She countered.

"Fair enough," Ed said.

"It's excellent craftsmanship, really." Rina said as she stood up and slipped her trench coat off. She had changed into a short cropped tee and shorts, but decided to keep her automail covered so she didn't scare off her guests. Her automail was made with stainless steel, and engraved with multiple symbols- highly complex transmutation circles.

"You've lost more than an arm and a leg," Al said in astonishment. Rina looked down at the ground and blushed. "Oh, that didn't come out right- I'm sorry, Ms. Jari- I mean, Rina." Al spluttered.

"It's fine." Rina replied. It was true that she had lost more. From her shoulder down, the right-hand half of Rina's body was made of automail.

"How did this happen to you?" Edward asked.

"That's a story for another time." She said quietly as she sat down at the table.

"Now, if you don't mind me asking," Ed asked as he stuffed his face with bread, "How old are you?" Rina smiled at the question.

"I'm thirteen- tomorrow's my fourteenth birthday." She answered. For a moment, her eyes were filled with joy, but then clouded over with sadness, "But I haven't celebrated it with anyone for years."

Ed, Al and Rina were silent for a while after that.

"Say Al, you haven't even touched your soup- it's probably cold now." Rina said as she looked into what she assumed was Al's eyes.

"I'm not hungry right now, but the soup looks delicious." Alphonse said as Rina smiled warmly at him.

"It's fine. I'll put it away for you, Al. As for you, Ed…" Rina said as she turned to the young Alchemist, who was now doubled over. "Eating too much rich food after you've been on such a restricted diet is unhealthy."

Rina stood up and helped him into his bed. "Now, let's take a look at that shredded automail arm of yours." She said as she pulled a couple tools from her trench coat pocket. Al watched from the table as Edward showed her his arm without complaint. Within a few minutes, Rina had untangled and reconnected all of the wires in his arms, as well as removed that last piece of rubble.

"Thanks; you're a miracle worker. You and Winry would get along just fine." Ed said with a smile as he flexed his fixed arm.

"Who's Winry?" Rina asked curiously.

"That's a story for another time." Ed said with a smirk. Rina laughed and turned to Al. "You should get some shuteye. It's late, and you'll be tired in the morning if you don't sleep."

"Yeah, you're right." Al said, trying to hide the sadness in his voice. _'I don't feel fatigue like you, Rina.' _He thought. Rina smiled warmly at him.

"Good night, you two." She said softly as she walked out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her. Alphonse sighed and crawled onto his bed.

"Brother," Al began as Edward cast his gaze over to his brother.

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned over in bed.

"What do girls like?" Al asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Ed questioned.

"Just because," He replied defensively.

"I'll tell you in the morning." Edward yawned as he rolled over in bed, soon falling fast asleep.

_'You won't be celebrating alone this year, Rina. You've got us.' _Al thought as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

xXx

In the moonlit forest, two figures walked in the twilight.

"Lust, I'm so hungry," The short and fat one whined.

"I told you, Gluttony, Master said we can't be killing at random" The tall and slender woman called Lust said without looking down at her companion.

"Right, we must find the Fullmetal, right?" Gluttony asked.

Lust stared up at the moon- it was almost full. "Correct, my dear. We must find Fullmetal- and kill him."


	2. Chapter 2

"Rise and shine, Ed!" Rina said as she pulled back the blinds, flooding the room with sunlight.

"Come on, it's barely eight in the morning!" Edward whined as he slipped out of bed. _'Great, I slept in my clothes.' _He thought as he pulled at his now static-charged shirt.

"Don't look so grumpy- it's a beautiful day!" Rina said as she set the table for breakfast.

"Sorry, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed- no pun intended." He said as he slumped into one of the intricately carved chairs.

"Hey, where'd Al run off to?" Rina asked over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.

"He's probably off exploring the area- and by the way, happy birthday!" Ed said happily as Rina walked back into the room, a plate of food in her hands.

"Thanks, Ed." She said with a giggle as she set the plate in front of him. "Now eat up."

"This looks good," Edward said as Rina set the plate in front of him. "Eggs, toast, and a glass of… MILK?!" Ed exclaimed. He stared at the glass of white liquid in disgust- the mere sight of it made him want to wretch.

"You don't like milk?" Rina asked in astonishment. Edward sighed and started to eat.

"It's just like drinking cow pee when you think about it." He said through a mouthful of eggs.

"Great table talk." Rina said bluntly. "You know, the most likely reason as to why you're so _short _is because you don't drink your milk." She teased as she crossed her arms. Ed glared at her- he was at his breaking point.

"I am NOT short- you're just freakishly tall!" He growled. Rina laughed off his comments and looked out the window.

"You'd better eat and wash up fast- I need you to find Al- we're going on a tour of the village." She said without looking back at him. Ed swallowed his last bite of food and headed off to the washroom to clean up.

xXx

"What _do _girl like?" Alphonse asked himself as he stared up at the clouds. Earlier that morning, he'd asked Edward once again what he thought girls liked. When all he received was an annoyed grunt in reply, he decided to go for a walk- maybe then an idea would pop into his mind for Rina's birthday gift.

"Girls like flowers and hearts, right?" He asked himself aloud as he pictured Rina in his head. The way she dressed and spoke didn't at all suggest that she liked things along the lines of 'cute' and 'sparkly'. Then, he remembered how sad she'd seemed when she'd shown them her broken bow. When he'd first seen the bow, he could tell that it was cheaply made.

"That's it," Al exclaimed.

"What's it?" a familiar voice asked. Alphonse turned around to see Edward walking toward him.

"I know what to give Rina for her birthday," Al proclaimed as he stood up from his spot in the grass and walked over to a tall tree.

"And what's that?" Ed asked as he crossed his arms.

"A quiver full of new arrows and a top grade bow!" Al said excitedly as he grabbed a large branch that had fallen in a windstorm.

"What?" Edward laughed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"What's so funny about it?" Alphonse asked as he dropped the branch in the center of the transmutation circle he'd recently drawn.

"Girls like flowers and kittens, Al! Rina wouldn't want a hunting bow!" Edward managed to say between laughing bursts.

"Rina's different from most girls, Edward!" Al argued. "I can tell that she likes a good fight!"

"Fine, whatever you want to do is fine with me," Ed sighed. "But if she doesn't react the way you hope she will, don't say I didn't warn you."

Al turned back to his work as Edward walked off, determined to prove that Rina in fact was different from all the other girls they'd met.

xXx

Roy Mustang sat in his office, sifting through the many stacks of papers he had stored in his desk.

"Colonel Mustang, sir," Riza Hawkeye called from the doorway.

"Not now, lieutenant," Roy muttered as he set another paper aside.

"But sir, this is something you really should hear," Hawkeye said. Judging by the look in her eye, she wasn't lying about it being important.

"Alright lieutenant, what is it that I 'really should hear'?" Roy asked as he lifted up a small picture. As he examined the face in the picture, his eyes softened and his heart twanged with guild.

"The help you sent to your sister only just arrived," Hawkeye said, awaiting an angry rant from her superior.

"I sent that help nearly five years ago," He growled as he slipped the picture into his coat pocket.

Hawkeye stared at the floor as she continued, "Yes; the request for assistance didn't reach the emergency unit until just recently. A failure on the military's behalf. When the crew searched the house, she wasn't there- the house had long been abandoned."

"What?" Mustang seethed. "That can't be possible- she couldn't have left! I sealed all the windows using Alchemy and locked the doors…"

"You always bragged about how skilled of an Alchemist she was- maybe she made her own way out." Hawkeye theorized.

"Maybe." Roy muttered. The Colonel abruptly rose from his seat and walked over to the lieutenant.

"First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," He began, "You are relieved of your duties until further notice. We have to hunt her down."

xXx

"A birthday gift- for _me?_" Rina cried happily as she sat down at the table with Alphonse and Edward.

"For you. You told us that you haven't celebrated your birthday with anyone for a long time, so Edward and I thought we could celebrate it with you." Al said as he set a large gift box on the table. "It's from both of us," He added.

"Thank you both so much," Rina said happily as she lifted the lid of the rectangular box. "A new bow- and arrows, too?" She gasped. Her eyes shone with delight as she lifted the large wooden bow out of its box. It was engraved with Alchemical symbols and delicately crafted- everything about it was perfect.

"Do you like it?" Al asked hopefully.

"I don't like it…" Rina began, "I absolutely _love it!_"

She ran up to Al and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said, laughing happily.

"Don't forget to thank Ed- he was part of this too!" Al said as he gestured to his brother. Edward went red in the face.

"No, it was all Al's doing. It's him you should thank." He said as Rina flashed him a big smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Edward, Alphonse and Rina walked through the small town, receiving quick greetings from passersby.

"Wow, the people here sure are friendly," Ed said as a young girl waved at him.

"We welcome all people of all races- and sizes." Rina said as she watched Edward start to fume over that remark.

"And what kind of dirty backhanded shot was that?" He snapped back. Rina just smiled and walked on.

"Rina, if you don't mind me asking, what is the name of this town?" Al asked.

"Oh, silly me. I really should have told you before," Rina said as she led the boys towards a small house near the outskirts of the town. "This is the town of Seele- well, more like a large village than a town." She explained with a small laugh. "Seele is German for Soul We were given that name because of the strong spiritual beliefs of the people- they have given me the nickname 'Soul Alchemist' because I have dedicated myself to saving the ill souls of this small community. I use my power and understanding of Alchemy to create medicinal compounds for my patients. In return, they build me a home, and provide me with food."

"The people here really must adore you." Al said as they approached the house.

"I hope they like me as much as I like them." She replied. "This is the house of my oldest patient, Lucy. She's been ill for years now- and she's terribly lonely. Her family left our village twenty years ago- that's when she first fell ill. When I first came here, I stumbled upon her in the forest- she had collapsed ill while looking for herbs. I was hoping that you would come and meet her- she always talks about how much she wishes she could make friends with the villagers instead of being cooped up inside all the time."

"We've got no problem with that, right Al?" Edward said as he turned to his brother. Al nodded in response.

"Hello, Lucy." Rina said quietly as she opened the door. Lying in a small bed in the corner of the house was a shriveled old woman."

"Rina, is that you, darling?" She asked.

"Yes, it's me- and I brought some friends." Rina replied as she led Al and Ed towards the old woman. "My, you're looking _much _better," She said as she placed her hand on Lucy's forehead. "Your fever has gone down dramatically."

"All thanks to you, darling." Lucy croaked. "Now, who are these two?"

"I'm Edward, and this is my brother Alphonse," Edward said with a smile. The old woman seemed to perk up when she heard their names.

"You wouldn't happen to be Edward Elric- the State Alchemist referred to by the name 'Fullmetal', and one of the two brothers looking for the Philosopher Stone?" Lucy asked.

"Yes to all of those- how did you know?" Ed inquired.

"Oh, Rina here has had dreams and visions about you two for years. She's told me all about both of you. She's quite gifted, you know." Lucy replied with a smile.

"Dreams? Visions?" Alphonse asked. _'So that's how she knows so much about us,' _He thought.

"I'll explain some other time," Rina murmured as she kneeled down beside Lucy. "Did you take all of your medicine this week?" She asked as she lifted up the small glass that had been sitting by the bed.

"I did- and it really helped." Lucy replied with a smile.

"Well I'm glad it did. Shall I make you another batch?" Rina asked as she took the glass over to a large transmutation circle that had been drawn on the hardwood floor.

"Yes, please." Lucy replied rather fast. Al tried to ignore the sudden greedy undertone to her voice. Rina placed the cup in the center of the circle, and walked back to the bed.

"How, exactly, do you make the medicine?" Edward asked. He'd never really thought about using Alchemy to create medicines before. Sure, he'd seen Psiren do it, but he'd never thought he'd need to use it.

"The same way you turn two different creatures into a Chimera," Rina explained, "By combining the ingredients to make something completely new."

Ed watched as she grabbed a large cloth bag out from under the bed. She dragged it over to the transmutation circle and grabbed a pinch of red powder from within it. She dropped it into the cup and walked over to the now dusty sink. She grabbed another cup from the small cupboard and filled it with water. She walked back to the transmutation circle and poured the water in with the red powder.

"The water and my special compound don't mix normally, see?" Rina pointed out. Edward squinted and looked carefully at the glass- it was true, they hadn't mixed at all. "But when I use Alchemy," Rina began as she placed her palms on the edge of the circle. In a flash of brilliant green light, the powder and water blended together to create a syrupy red mixture. "They blend perfectly." She finished.

"Amazing," Alphonse said quietly. All the while, Lucy had been studying the boys, but not Rina's spectacular show of power.

"Thank you," Rina said as her cheeks started to turn red. "Here you go- only drink a little bit a day- you don't want to overdose." Rina said as she handed the cup to Lucy.

"Thank you, dear- and thank you, Edward and Alphonse for coming to visit me." Lucy said sweetly.

"Any time," Al replied. With a last wave, Ed, Al and Rina left the house.

"Well played, Deceit." A voice said from the shadows.

"Why thank you, Envy." Lucy replied. Lucy greedily gulped down the mixture as Envy walked into view.

"And you couldn't save me at least a little drop?" He complained.

"I could've, but then I wouldn't have the strength to keep the form of an old haggardly woman," Lucy said slyly. She carefully set the glass on the floor and stood up. Within seconds she had shape shifted into the homunculus by the name of Deceit.

"How long have you been tricking that girl into creating liquid Philosopher Stones?" Envy asked as Deceit stretched herself out.

"A few weeks after she created me." Was Deceit's answer. "When I saw her in the forest, a while after I had been 'thrown away', I took that as my chance to take advantage of her. I became poor old Lucy- I also found out a bit of information about Fullmetal and his tin-can brother,"

"Then spill the beans," Envy said slyly as he sat down on the bed. "I'm all ears."

xXx

"Well, it looks like you've been keeping some secrets from us, Rina." Ed sighed as he turned to face her. "I should've known- the whole instant trust thing was all an act." They had just left Lucy's house, and hadn't yet started walking back to Rina's house.

"I'm sorry, you two. It's just that I was afraid of how you'd react to that. The only one I've told that secret to is Lucy." She said as she stared at her shoes. "There's a whole lot about me that people don't know- that even Lucy doesn't know."

"It's alright- everyone has secrets." Al said softly. Rina looked up at him- he was a wiser person than she'd first thought.

"Thanks for understanding." She said as she headed off down the road.

"You like her, don't you?" Edward said to Al with a smirk on his face.

"Well of course I like her. She's friendly, has a good sense of humor," Alphonse began,

"No, you dummy! I meant you have a crush on her!" Ed replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Where would you get _that _from?" He asked as he started walking after Rina.

"Well, you made her an amazing bow for her birthday, and defended her when she kept secrets from us, an- hey, wait for me!" Ed called as he ran after Al and Rina, who were well off down the road now.

_'I don't have a crush on her,' _Al thought. _'Do I?'_

xXx

"I can't believe she would do that to us," Alphonse said as he slumped onto his bed. Rina had gone on some errands, and the boys had chosen to stay behind.

"I can," Edward said as he finished packing his suitcase. "She's a typical secret keeper- almost like a spy. She'll lure us into a false sense of security, and then lure the enemy towards us. Who knows what kind of twisted secrets she has?"

"Where are you going?" Al asked as Edward closed the lid.

"The question is, where are _we _going." He replied. "We're leaving this place- we can't trust Rina any longer- she'll only put us in danger."

"No, she won't- and you know it." Al said stubbornly.

"Look, now isn't the time to let your emotions get in the way of our goal; she'll only drag us farther and farther away from the Philosopher Stone." Edward sighed.

"I'm not letting anything get in the way of our goal," Al said agitatedly as he stood up, "I'm telling the truth; Rina is a good person and wants nothing more than for us to be happy!

"She's not, all she's going to do is hurt us. And as your older brother, you have to listen to _me. _We're leaving, and that's…" Edward cut himself off. Al had left the house. "…the end of it…"

xXx

Alphonse was running through the town, crying invisible tears. "She's not a bad person- I know she isn't!" Al charged through the bustling market and through the forest.

"Al? I thought you were at the house- hey, where are you running off to?" He heard Rina shout after him. He couldn't bear to look at her right now. He ran out of the bustling town and through the forest, until he reached the top of a luscious and grassy hill. Before him was a green meadow, dotted with little white flowers. Al stopped running and slumped to the ground. He was sobbing now.

"Al, what's wrong? Why would you run off like that?" Rina asked between gasps for air. She had chased after him since moment she'd seen him running from the town.

"Why would you want to know? You're probably just trying to get information to sell to those homunculi!" He snapped.

"Homunculi? Sell information? Al, you're not making any sense to me!" Rina replied.

"Edward says that you're a backstabbing secret keeper- I don't want to think that, but I don't know what to believe." He said quietly.

"This is all because I didn't tell you my secrets?" She asked sadly. Al nodded and looked away. Rina walked over to him and sat down beside him.

"Would it help if I told you my biggest secret?" She asked. "The story of how I ended up losing so much of my body?" Al turned to look at her- she could tell that he really wanted to know. Rina looked out at the field- the grass danced lazily in the wind.

"About five years ago, when I was nine, my mother died. My brother and I were absolutely devastated. What's worse is that we still hadn't completely recovered from the death of our father. My brother had been teaching me Alchemy during his vacation from his military work, and I had been learning quite fast. While he was out on some errands, I used my knowledge of Alchemy to attempt to do something that had always ended in disaster for many…"

"…Aluminum, Salt, Lime, and Ammonia." Rina said to herself as she dumped the proper measurements of the powders into the center of her transmutation circle. Sheets of rain fell endlessly, drumming against the window. Flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder could be seen and heard in the distance. "Brother will be so proud of me when I bring her back through Human Transmutation- we won't have to live alone." She said as she put her tools away. "And now, for the real challenge…"

Rina sat at the edge of the circle. Did she really have the courage to do this? "Five," She murmured as she raised her hands,_ 'Four,' _she closed her eyes tight. _'Three,' _she said a quick prayer, _'Two,' _she brought her hands down, _'One,'_ she touched the edge of the circle. The room was filled with a brilliant flash of red light- Rina screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Rina, are you okay in there?" A voice hollered from outside. Nothing but screaming, and an inhuman sound could be heard from inside the small home. Suddenly, the door flew open- Rina's brother ran in. He dropped the groceries on the floor. He was horrified by what he saw. His sister was on the floor, battered and bloodied- and almost limbless. In the center of her transmutation circle was a monster. It screeched at him and tried to move. The effort caused it to lose consciousness. Rina's brother created a large sack using Alchemy, and managed to shove the thing into it. He ran out into the forest, to a small, yet deep pond. He set the sack at the edge of the pond, and ran back to his sister's aid.

"B-brother…" She stuttered as he kneeled down beside her.

"Don't worry, Rina- I'll help you." He said as she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she was in her bed. Two fuzzy outlines of people were leaning over her.

"It'll take her a while to get used to the automail." The voice of an older man said. As everything came into focus, Rina realized that she was in her bed. Her brother was leaning over her, his eyes bloodshot. He hadn't slept in days. On her other side was a doctor- an automailist, she presumed.

"Thank you." Was all her brother could say. The automailist left the house, leaving the two alone.

"Brother, what happened?" Rina asked as she tried to sit up. She was immediately overcome with pain.

"You lost half of yourself to equivalent exchange during your Human Transmutation." He said sadly. Rina lifted the covers of her bed- what she saw nearly made her scream. The entire right hand half of her body was made of automail, from the shoulder down.

"Where's mother?" She asked as she dropped the covers back over herself. "I brought her back, didn't I?"

"That wasn't mother," Her brother said solemnly, "That was a monster. I got rid of it." Rina turned her head away. "I'm sorry, brother." She said softly.

"Don't be," he said in reply, "It's my fault for not telling you that Human Transmutation is forbidden."

For the next few weeks, Rina trained with her brother, learning to use her automail.

"Rina, I have to go back to the army- but I promise I will send help to you. They will be here in three days." He said as he walked out the door in his crisp uniform.

"Will I see you again?" She asked. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course you will, silly. Now, be good, and don't get into any trouble." He said as he shut the door.

"Goodbye, brother." She said. "Goodbye."

"I waited for the help he'd said would come," Rina said to Alphonse as she held back her tears. "I waited for a month." Al couldn't believe what he'd heard- no wonder she didn't want to talk about it. "Eventually, I figured out that no help would come, so I ran away to Seele. A year later, I started having dreams and visions about people- particularly you and your brother. I figured that the ability to see the future was a gift given to me by the 'ones behind the door'."

_'That must be what Ed calls the Truth,' _Al thought.

"And now, I've met you and your brother- and I knew I could trust you- I put two and two together- you were the boys in my visions- but I guess I was wrong." Rina managed to say before she started to cry.

"No, that's not true; you _can _trust us, we _are _your friends- and we'll always be there for you." Alphonse said as he put an arm around her.

"Thank you, Al." She said as she leaned into him. For a while, both of them were silent. The wind blew ever so gently.

"Can I tell you _my _secret?" Al asked quietly. Rina looked up at him and nodded. "I lost by body during equivalent exchange- just like Edward- when we were trying to bring _our _mother back. Just in the nick of time, Edward bound my soul to this suit of armor with a Bloodseal. I'm hollow inside, but I'm still human."

Rina was shocked. All this time, she'd thought he was just obsessed with wearing that armor.

"Really?" She asked as she lifted off his helmet. It was true- there was nothing in the armor.

"Please don't touch my Bloodseal- I'll die if you do." He said as she set the helmet back in place.

"I'd never do that to you- you can trust me on that one," Rina said with a smile. She leaned into Al and he held her close, as they watched the sun set.

"I guess he was right about her again," Edward said quietly from his hiding spot behind a tree. "She really _is_ our friend."


	4. Chapter 4

Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye sat across from each other in the train car.

'_If only I'd been there sooner,' _Roy thought as he stared into the eyes of the young girl- his sister- in the picture he had stuffed into his pocket just hours earlier. Five years before, his sister had attempted to bring a lost family member back from the dead through Alchemy- she ended up paying a grave price for it. If it wasn't for the expertise of a world renowned automailist, she would've died.

"Sir, it wasn't your fault that she was hurt," Riza said softly. Roy's eyes hardened and he set the picture down.

"You are mistaken, lieutenant." He muttered as he looked into her eyes. Behind his icy stare, was an overwhelming amount of sadness. "If I had been able to teach her correctly, she wouldn't have wound up like so many others."

Hawkeye couldn't argue with him any longer. He had convinced himself to the core that his sister's predicament was his entire fault. "I remember when I first met her- she was only four." Riza said with a smile as she stared out the window, watching the world go by.

"She _did _love having you around," Mustang said quietly. Hawkeye smiled. At least she was bringing happy memories to his mind. When Roy's sister was younger, he would stop by his home to visit her and his mother. The odd time, Riza would come by as well, and delight her superior's sister with tales of heroic battles alongside her 'partner', Roy. Soon, Riza became a part of the family, and was referred to by Roy's sister as 'Aunt Riza'. After the death of Mrs. Mustang, Roy's mother, he became a relatively solitary man, preferring to keep to himself. Riza was slowly pushed away by Roy. As he stopped talking to her about anything other than military operations, their friendship dwindled like a flame in water. After four years, it seemed that now she was just the Lieutenant.

"I know we'll find her, sir." Hawkeye said softly. Mustang turned and looked back at Riza.

"Please," He said softly, "Just call me Roy."

xXx

"… And I really don't blame her for keeping to herself." Alphonse said as he finished relaying his conversation with Rina to Edward.

"I guess I can't blame her either," Edward replied. Ever since he'd listened in- well, more like eavesdropped- on Al and Rina, he'd felt unbelievably guilty for accusing the younger Alchemist of being allied with the homunculi. "I guess I was just being paranoid, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't watch who we associate with."

Just then, Rina burst through the door. Her brown eyes were open wide, and she seemed extremely anxious.

"Rina, what's wrong?" Edward asked. He'd never seen anyone look as stressed as she did.

"It's Lucy," Rina cried, "She's gone!"

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Alphonse asked. Rina couldn't be for real. An old lady as sick and frail as Lucy was couldn't have just gotten up and left.

"I mean she's not in her house!" Rina replied. "She was either kidnapped- though I don't know why- or murdered!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Al asked. "We've got to find her!"

Edward was quite shocked. It was usually himself who said things like that. "R-right," He stammered. "Let's get a move on."

Rina grabbed her quiver and bow from the stand she had created, and tested the string. The string tension was perfect- almost as perfect as the drawback. "All set?" Rina asked.

Edward nodded as he transmuted his arm into a blade. "Ready as ever."

Alphonse gave her a small thumbs up. "Let's go." He said, his voice full of determination. "I know we'll get Lucy back."

xXx

"Master, we have brought the newest homunculus, Deceit." Lust said as she walked forward with Deceit, Gluttony and Envy following closely behind.

"Good; you have served me well." The voice of a woman said. Slowly, a woman wearing a deep purple dress walked out from the shadows. The woman was Dante; an Alchemist, who long ago, had succeeded in creating a Philosopher Stone. For over four hundred years, she had used the Philosopher Stone to move her soul to different bodies after her current one had decayed. Her current form was that of a woman name Lira.

"So, you are this 'Master' I have heard about?" Deceit asked.

"In fact, I am," Dante replied as she examined the homunculus before her. "And, I am the one who left you those incomplete Philosopher Stones in your time of weakness. Now that you're here, why don't you meet your fellow brethren?" Dante moved aside as three new homunculi stepped forward. "Meet Sloth, Wrath, and Pride. Greed sadly couldn't be here today- he allowed himself to be finished off by that brat Fullmetal."

Deceit looked over to Wrath- she was suddenly hit with a wave of memories. She remembered a little boy about Wrath's age. He had stunning Raven black hair and dark brown eyes. She remembered playing with him for hours out in the warm sun.

"Hey, lady, you alright?" The voice of a boy asked her. Slowly, everything came back into focus. Deceit was lying on the floor, Wrath standing over her. "You fell over when you looked at me- am I that ugly?" He asked as he raised a hand to his face.

"Don't be ridiculous. You only sparked a couple of memories- that's all." Deceit snapped at him. Wrath flinched slightly and moved away from her.

"Now that our little introduction is finished," Dante began, "It's time that I told you what your mission is, Deceit. You are to find that walking pile of junk Alphonse's weakness- and destroy him with it. With his brother dead, Edward will lose all hope. Then, we will strike."

xXx

"We've got to find her- we can't take the time to stop!" Rina grunted as she ran on through the forest, Al and Ed trailing behind. Ed had grown far too tired, so Al had been forced to carry him. Rina, however, was showing almost no signs of exhaustion.

"How are you _not _tired?" Edward asked as they ran through the forest.

"I ignore exhaustion- I push it out of my mind and keep fighting. That's what my brother taught me to do." She replied. Her face was void of emotion when she looked back at Edward.

'_That expression,' _He thought, _'why does it remind me of Mustang?'_

"That's not healthy for you, though." Al said as Rina turned sharply.

"I don't care- Lucy has become like family for me, and family comes before all else!" She barked. Suddenly, she stopped, almost causing Al to fall over while trying to stop.

"I can hear her calling for help," Rina said quietly.

"I can't hear anything," Edward growled from underneath Al, "aside from the cracking of my skeleton."

"Sorry, brother." Alphonse said quickly as he crawled off of Edward, who was nearly flattened like a pancake.

"Get a move on already!" Rina snapped at them. They both looked up at her in shock. She had never spoken to them like that before, and her eyes had a certain hardness to them that was vaguely familiar.

"Rina, you need to calm down." Edward said as he walked towards her.

"No, I don't! You need to speed up or we'll never get to Lucy in time! My parents and brother are gone- she's all I have!" She snapped. She was clutching her bow tightly, and her eyes were clouding with tears.

"We're all human, Rina. We can't go on without taking a break- we'll be worked to the point of absolute exhaustion." Al tried to explain.

"That's where you're wrong, Elric!" Rina yelled in anger. "You're a soul bound to a suit of armor- _metal, _not _flesh_! You're not even _close _to human!"

"Rina," Alphonse murmured. How could she say such hurtful things to him?

"You don't know what it's like to feel the way we do- the way _I _do! You can't even feel the warmth of the sun on your metal body!"

"Stop talking like that," Al growled as he took a step towards her.

"Stay away from me, or I'll shoot!" Rina cried as she drew an arrow from her quiver.

"The only one who'll get hurt if you shoot me is yourself. The arrow will ricochet back at you." Al warned.

"Then I guess that's proof that you're a monster!" She screamed as she knocked the arrow. A flurry of red Alchemical symbols suddenly appeared, circling around the arrow tip, forming a transmutation circle. "I don't fire normal arrows, as you will soon see. Return to the Gate, you freak of nature!"

Rina pulled the arrow back as far as she could, and fired. The arrow sped towards Alphonse at an incredible speed, and with incredible accuracy.

Al stayed right where he was. "I warned you, Rina. An arrow can't-"

He stopped mid sentence as the arrow pierced- yes, it _pierced_- his presumably indestructible armor. Alphonse fell over in a daze. The arrow tip was just millimeters away from his Bloodseal.

"And _I_ warned _you_, Alphonse Elric." Rina growled as she turned and ran off, leaving Alphonse and Edward alone. "Next time, you might not be so lucky."

"Are you alright?" Ed asked in a panic as he scrambled over to his brother.

"I- I don't know," Al stammered as he stared at the arrow lodged in his armor. "If I move, the arrow might slide further in and brush my Bloodseal."

"Oh, this is bad." Edward muttered. "She used some advanced form of Alchemy on the arrow- I might trigger something if I try to pull it out.

"You've got to try, brother." Alphonse begged. "Rina might be lethal with a bow, but once she runs out of arrows, she'll be done for. She has no experience using Alchemy in a fight."

"You're right on that one," Edward replied. "But she nearly killed you!"

"To her, Lucy is all she has left in life. She's like a grandmother to her, and she feels that we are standing in the middle of the way of saving her only family member." Alphonse explained. "You would've done the same thing if she was standing in your way of getting to me."

And Alphonse was right. Edward _would_ have done that- and maybe more to save his brother.

"Point made," Edward said as he reached for the arrow. "I guess this is the moment of truth for us."

As Edward grasped the arrow, he was almost completely overwhelmed with pain. He felt like his hand was being singed by searing hot coals and flames. The air around the two was glowing red, and the air was stiflingly hot. Ever so slowly, Edward pulled on the arrow, but the more he pulled, the more the pain intensified. "I… don't know… if I… can do it…" He growled. "The defense… mechanism… is… pushing me… beyond my limits…"

"It's almost out!" Al cried. "You can do it!"

With his last ounce of strength, Edward pulled the arrow out, and threw it aside, finally relieving himself of the pain.

"My hand…" He groaned as he clutched his wrist. He'd grabbed the arrow with his _left _hand- his flesh and blood hand. It was red and enflamed, and was already starting to blister.

"I'm sorry," Alphonse said once he caught a glimpse of Edward's hand.

"I'm fine- don't worry about it." He said, although he knew he wasn't anywhere near fine.

"Let me help," Al said as he quickly drew a transmutation circle in the dirt. He sat up, grabbed a few materials, and placed them in the center of the circle. Ed watched as the leaves, dirt, and grass were changed into clean gauze bandages.

"Hold out your hand," Al said softly. Edward held his wounded hand out and winced as Al wrapped it. "That should work for now." He said as Ed flexed his hand ever so slightly, soon wining in pain.

"I guess I'm pretty much useless now- I can't exactly use Alchemy as well as I could with my hand like this," Edward sighed as he stood up from his kneeling position.

"Don't be like that," Al said as he fingered the large hole in his chest plate. "If you start to lose your confidence in yourself now, we won't make it any farther in our search for the Philosopher Stone."

"I guess that's true, too." Ed replied as he clapped his hands together. "We'll get a move on once I take care of that nasty hole in your chest."

Ed placed his hands on his brother's chest plate, and in a flash of light, had sealed it up without a trace.

"Let's go- Rina couldn't have gotten that far," Al said as the two took off running.

xXx

"They don't understand how I think," Rina sobbed as she ran on through the darkening forest. "They never will; no matter how hard I try to make them." _'But still,' _She thought, _'did I really have to be so hard on Al?'_

"Somebody, help- please!" Rina heard the voice of an old woman cry out.

"Lucy? Is that you? It's Rina- don't you worry!" Rina called back, trying to fill her voice with bravery. "I'm coming!"

Rina flew through the foliage on lightning fast toes, dodging every branch in her way. As she dodged the last branch, she emerged into a large clearing.

"Rina!" Lucy called. The poor old woman had been tied to a tree, the rough rope scratching and cutting her.

"Oh, Lucy- I'm glad you're alright!" Rina cried as she ran over to Lucy. "I'll get you out in a-" Rina couldn't finish her sentence. Envy dropped down from the tree and sent her flying across the clearing. Rina went tumbling backwards and eventually landed in a kneeling position, bow and arrows at the ready.

"Not so fast, little orphan." Envy said with a smirk.

"Who are you?" Rina asked the strange young man before her. He crossed his arms and smiled slyly at Lucy, who in turn, smiled back in a similar manner.

"Most people know me as Envy, one of the seven homunculi, but you can call me your new boyfriend." He replied flirtatiously.

"Eww; never!" Rina exclaimed as she glared at Envy with distaste. "I don't exactly date dead boys."

"Watch out, Envy, there's a mouth on this one." Lucy said with a dark laugh. Within seconds, she had shape shifted into her truest form, Deceit, the newly born homunculus.

"Lucy?" Rina shrieked in horror.

"Shut up- your voice hurts my ears." Deceit snapped as Envy untied her.

"Who are you- really? Rina asked, slowly drawing an arrow.

"I'm Deceit- the homunculus _you _created by sacrificing your flesh. Lucky for you, you didn't put enough ingredients into that stupid transmutation circle- that's why you still exist." Deceit growled as she rolled up the sleeve of her long gown, and slightly hiked up her skirt. Both her arm and leg had been stolen from an innocent victim and attached to her own body.

"Brother was right," Rina muttered, "I _did _create a monstrosity."

"You'd better take that back, you little brat!" Deceit hissed. "I'm no monstrosity- I'm merely incomplete."

"You're an _incomplete monstrosity_!" Rina yelled as she drew back an arrow. As before, a transmutation circle appeared in front of the arrow tip- this time glowing white. "I'll send you back where you came from- _hell_!"

Rina fired the arrow, and it hit Deceit right in the throat- hitting the center of her Ouroboros tattoo.

"Oh, the pain!" Deceit cried sarcastically, causing Envy to snort in amusement.

"How did that _not _kill you?" Rina exclaimed, standing up tall, and staring wide-eyed at the arrow which Deceit merely plucked out of her throat.

"It takes much more than that to kill a homunculus, babe." Envy said, even more flirtatious than Rina considered 'over the limit'.

"You are the creepiest person I've ever met in my life," Rina growled at Envy.

"I've gotten that a whole lot," He replied nonchalantly.

"If you think that being shot in the throat and surviving is wild, wait until you see my next trick," Deceit laughed as she squeezed the arrow tightly. It shattered into little slivers, which grew in size, each becoming a new arrow- a black transmutation circle in front of each arrow tip. The arrows rose from the ground, all aiming at Rina.

"I hope you like Swiss cheese," Deceit said darkly, "Because that's what you're about to become!"

With that, the arrows flew at Rina, who was paralyzed with fear. _'Move- do something, stupid!' _Rina thought. She willed her legs to move, but they wouldn't budge. _'This is it,' _She thought as she closed her eyes tight. Seconds later, she felt herself be grabbed by someone or something and held close.

"What?" Rina shrieked as she opened her eyes wide. She was cradled in two strong arms, and protected by a large, hard body.

"A second later, and you would've been a goner." A familiar voice said.

"Al?" She asked quietly. She looked up at her savior- sure enough it was him.

"Yeah." He replied simply. Rina couldn't bring herself to say anything- or do anything. She was far too shocked.

"Listen, I-" Rina began, but Al cut her off.

"There's no time to talk now- I need you to stay hidden." He said sternly.

"Are you crazy? Never! This is _my _fight, and I intend on fighting it!" She snapped, a hardness returning to her eyes.

"Fine." Al replied coldly. Rina was extremely shocked. Had she said something wrong? Al set her down and joined Edward, who was well into battle with Envy.

"This isn't your fight, runt!" Envy sneered as Edward sent a flurry of stone fists at him.

"Who are you calling a runt?!" Edward snapped as he transmuted his metal arm into a long blade.

"Oh, looks like I struck a nerve there," Envy laughed as Edward lunged at him.

"Just shut up already!" Edward yelled as he slashed Envy across the stomach.

"Need some help over there?" Deceit called as she ran into battle.

"Edward, look out- she can turn your attacks against you!" Alphonse shouted as he slammed into the approaching homunculus.

"I'll keep that in mind," He replied as he left Envy on the ground, quite beat up.

"It's no use, Alphonse Elric," Deceit said calmly as she swiftly dodged his next attack. "You can't catch me as long as you're stuck in that heavy metal body of yours."

"We'll see about that," He said as he grabbed hold of Deceit's arm. She looked up at him and smiled. She immediately shape shifted into an old woman- Lucy.

"What- Lucy is a homunculus?" Edward asked himself in utter confusion.

"You wouldn't hurt a little old lady, now would you?" She asked sweetly. Alphonse let go of her in shock, giving her enough time to spin around and punch his helmet off.

"Oh, a Bloodseal," Deceit said as she shape shifted back to her usual form, staring into his suit. "I wonder what'll happen if I _wipe it away?_"

"Get away from him, you faker!" Rina screamed as she shot a glowing blue arrow at Deceit.

Deceit turned her head to look at Rina and laughed, "Foolish child; your measly arrows can't do a single- " She held her tongue as the arrow hit her in the center of her back, and emerged out of her stomach. "Thing…" She finished as her whole body went rigid. "I can't move!" She shrieked as Alphonse slipped away, scooping up his helmet. "Rina dear, is that honestly any way to treat your _mother?_" She shrieked again, this time, her voice sounding completely inhuman.

"You are _not _my mother, and you never will be!" Rina screamed as she raised her hand, her palm aiming at deceit. The transmutation circle etched into the palm of her metal hand began to glow a blazing white, and the arrow lodged in Deceit's body seemed to glow like hot embers. The homunculus screamed in agony, falling to the ground.

"How is she able to do that?" Envy asked himself as he watched Deceit twitch around. Soon, she began to wretch. To Rina's horror, out came- incomplete Philosopher Stones?

"My power!" Deceit screamed between wretches. "Five years worth of power- gone!"

Deceit soon collapsed unconscious, surrounded by fake Philosopher Stones. Rina kneeled down to the ground, and placed her hand on one of the stones that had rolled in her direction. A small transmutation circle appeared beneath it, as with the other stones. As the circles began to glow, so did the stones. As each stone disappeared, small glowing orbs of light were left in their places. Thousand of orbs flew around the clearing, some flying over to Rina- the energy that had been used in the creation of the many stones had been absorbed by the young Alchemist.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked.

"I'm not doing a thing- the energy is choosing to give me its strength…" Rina said in wonder. Slowly, some of the energy seemed to travel over to the Elric brothers, who stared at each orb in awe.

"Impossible…!" Envy cried as he stood up and grabbed Deceit. Before anyone could object, he had run off, Deceit with him.

"Let them run," Rina said coldly as she turned to Edward, silently thanking him for coming.

"Now that that's over with," He began, "Who was the other homunculus?"

"That was Deceit- the homunculus I created when I tried to resurrect my mother." Rina replied shamefully. Edward was quite taken aback- did she say she created a homunculus- and escaped with such minimal losses?"I don't know exactly how it happened, but I made a terrible mistake." Rina sighed. "I can't remember exactly how it all went." Slowly, she turned to where she had last seen Alphonse standing. "Where'd he go?" Rina asked Ed.

"He's probably a little offended by what you said about him. He might've gone someplace quiet." Ed explained. Rina's eyes were filled with realization, shock, and concern.

"I…" She stammered as she struggled to keep eye contact with Edward. "I have to go talk to him." She managed to say before starting to cry. Before Ed could say a thing, she ran off to the spot where she and Al had had their first heart to heart talk- the daisy-covered field.

xXx

"Alphonse?" Rina called softly as she walked out into the open field. Sitting in the grass, was Alphonse, who was watching the sun set beyond the horizon.

"What would you want with a 'freak' like me?" He asked without looking up at her.

"That's what I came to talk to you about." Rina said quietly as she sat down beside him. He inched away ever so slightly. "I didn't mean a word I said to you. I was upset- I was afraid." She said as she looked at the dancing grass around them. "I thought Lucy cared about my wellbeing, but it turns out that she didn't care about me as much as I cared about her."

"How do I know this isn't just some big lie?" Alphonse asked without looking down at her.

"I guess you're just going to have to take my word." She replied. "Al, I thought I'd _die _without her- she was like my family- but it turns out that she's not the one I can't live without."

"Then who is it?" Alphonse asked softly as he turned to look at Rina- she was in tears.

"It's you, Al. I can't live without you." She cried as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tighter than ever before, and crying harder than she ever had before. "Al, I promise that I'll help you and your brother find the Philosopher Stone and get your bodies back to normal. I'll always be there for you."

"And I'll always be there for _you._" He whispered as he held her close.

"Al," Rina murmured, "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything," He replied.

"You, by far, are the purest soul I've ever met. To me, you're not human- you're better."


	5. Chapter 5

Envy lugged Deceit through the grand hall he'd entered- the woman sure was heavier than she looked.

"That damned girl…" Deceit hissed as she dug her long nails into her palms, for it was all she could manage to do with that stupid arrow stuck in her back. Crushing defeat wasn't exactly 'her thing'.

"Don't sweat it. We've all had at least one unpleasant encounter with a brat like her." Envy replied as he set Deceit on the floor, careful not to touch the arrow. He'd watched Edward pull Rina's arrow out of Alphonse's chest plate- the defense mechanism was insanely powerful.

"Well, it looks like you're not as strong as Envy said you were." A voice sneered- whoever was talking clearly was trying to mock Deceit.

"Shut it, Wrath." Deceit snapped as she glared at the young boy walking towards her.

"Why should I? I'm not the one who was paralyzed by a measly arrow." He replied cockily.

"If it's a 'measly arrow', _you_ try to pull it out then," Deceit growled as Wrath glanced at the arrow- it was glowing softly.

"Fine," Wrath snapped as he stomped up to Deceit.

'_Oh, this'll be good,' _Envy thought as he smirked and crossed his arms. _'We'll be having fried brat for dinner.'_

As Wrath kneeled beside Deceit, she was once again bombarded by memories.

She remembered laying in bed, a boy of about thirteen looking down at her in worry.

"Mom, are you sure you're alright? You've been sick for a while now." He'd asked her.

"Stop screaming already- I haven't even started!" Wrath yelled. Deceit snapped back to reality- she _had _been screaming. She immediately closed her mouth, shut her eyes, and braced for the pain of the arrow sliding through her flesh. She flinched slightly as Wrath pulled it out. Soon after, she opened one eye and stared at Wrath. He hadn't dropped the arrow yet. Hovering above the arrow tip was a glowing transmutation circle- the same one that had appeared near the arrow Edward had touched. Wrath was in too much pain to even scream, let alone move. Ever so slowly, he forced his body to drop the arrow, letting it clatter to the ground. He stared in shock at his hand- it had been burned severely.

"What the hell did that thing do to my hand?" Wrath growled as he stared at Deceit who had stood up and was now brushing herself off.

'_Maybe this wasn't so fun after all,' _Envy thought. He was hoping the little brat would've thrashed around in pain.

"I should be askingthat." Deceit replied quietly. On her palm was an odd looking transmutation circle. It was a ten pointed star. In the center was the Greek letter, Iota. Deceit turned her palm to face Wrath. He sucked in sharply.

"What is it?" Deceit asked him. Now she was concerned.

"It's a Deficimus Lente mark. It'll ensure that your body decays and weakens gradually- it also means that whoever marked you with it will probably be the one to kill you." He said quietly.

"That little wench Rina won't kill me- I'll kill her first. No one defaces my beautiful body and gets away with it." Deceit growled. Wrath smirked.

"Let me come along- I haven't seen the spatter of blood in a while," He laughed darkly.

"Go and attempt to seek your vengeance." A voice whispered from the shadows, just out of earshot of the three homunculi. Dante, their Master, had watched the entire time, along with Pride and Sloth.

"Master, are you sure it's worth it to let them go after the girl? Fullmetal and his brother might step in and destroy them- _then _what will you do?" Pride asked in a hushed voice.

"They think that together they can defeat that little brat Rina." Sloth added.

"I have faith- not a whole lot, but I do have faith. They aren't completely useless. Besides, Lust and Gluttony will meet up with them- that will give them a little more strength," Dante replied. "I believe they'll succeed."

xXx

Rina layed in bed asleep- she'd felt mentally and physically exhausted ever since she'd shot Deceit- she'd put most of her energy into that arrow. Creating a Deficimus Lente wasn't as easy as she'd thought it was. Ed and Al had made her go to bed- she had told them she wanted to find Deceit and finish her off, but they had told her that in order to start her hunt, she needed energy to fight. She wouldn't argue with that one. So, there she was, asleep in bed- but she wasn't having any 'sweet dreams'. She thrashed around, drenched in sweat. She was having a terrible vision.

"Ed, Al," She mumbled. "Don't..."

She saw quick images of three homunculi in a burning town. Deceit was there with Envy, and a younger homunculus, who she assumed was Wrath- judging by what Ed and Al had told her. Next she saw a young man with Raven hair on a train with a blond woman. She couldn't define their features. Then, came the horrifying parts. She saw Edward lying on the ground, a large stab wound in his stomach. Beside him was Alphonse. His helmet had been thrown a couple feet away, and his Bloodseal had been half erased.

"Rina, are you alright?" A familiar voice asked in concern. Rina sprang up in bed. She was in tears.

"Alphonse, are you hurt?" She asked in a panic as she looked around the room. Her eyes soon settled on the suit of armor- Alphonse- who sat beside her bed.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine- shouldn't I be?" He asked her as he handed her a small hankie. She took it graciously and wiped away her tears.

"I'd just had a shocking vision, that's all." She sniffled as she stared down at her lap. "Al," She began as she looked over at him, "Promise me you won't die,"

"Don't worry," He replied. "I don't intend on leaving the world just yet."

xXx

"She really must've been upset by what she'd seen if she'd broken down like that and told you to make such a ridiculous promise," Edward said quietly as he pulled back the arrow he'd knocked on the bow he'd made. After seeing Rina's Alchemy technique, he'd become determined to replicate it, one way or another. After aiming as best he could, Edward fired the arrow. He missed his target by about three feet.

"I'm afraid that she saw a glimpse of the future- of me dying. I don't want to die before we get ourselves back to normal." Alphonse said as he grabbed the large bow he'd made for himself. As he drew back the arrow, he noticed Rina out of the corner of his eye. She seemed slightly groggy- she must've just woken up. Al prayed he wouldn't make himself look like a fool in front of her. He aimed the best he could, and fired. He hit the center of the target. Rina smiled and crossed her arms.

"None of us are going to die," Ed said as he walked over to the target. He examined the spot where the arrow had hit. "Hey, I'll bet five bucks you can't split this arrow with another," He said cockily as he pointed to the arrow Al had fired just recently.

"Oh, I bet I can," Al replied confidently. He drew back another arrow and fired. The first arrow split into two halves. "That'll be five bucks for me," He replied as Edward stared wide eyed at the arrow.

"No fair! You cheated!" Ed hollered after Al who had started walking off.

"How do you cheat at Archery?" Al asked with a laugh as Edward struggled to come up with an explanation.

"Those two are hilarious," Rina said quietly as she turned and walked back towards her home. _'I just hope my vision was a nightmare- a really detailed nightmare,' _She thought.

xXx

Lieutenant Hawkeye and Colonel Mustang walked down the long dirt road, suitcases in hand.

"Roy, are you sure this is the right way to Seele- and why are we stopping there in the first place?" Riza asked.

"We're headed the right way- and we're stopping there because it's the most likely place my sister left to." Roy responded. He didn't have an edgy tone to his voice for a change. In fact, he was enjoying his walk with Leutenant Hawkeye. "When she was younger, she loved taking small trips to Seele with my mother- she'd said she wanted to live there when she was older." He said with a small smile.

Riza and Roy walked in silence for a long while after that.

"There it is, up ahead." Roy said as the chatter of voices started to fill their ears.

"Finally," Riza said quietly as they entered the small town. The stores were bustling with people, and the smell of fresh baked pastries filled the air. "I can see why your sister loved it here," Riza said in awe as she looked at the many different people. Many of them were Ishballans; war refugees, no doubt.

"She said it was her favorite place in the world because people lived without hate in the small community; everyone was equal." Roy sighed happily as he remembered strolling through the town when he was little, hand in hand with his mother. The two turned into a small Inn. The smell of fresh flowers and the sound of children running and playing in the lobby made the two smile.

"Don't worry," Riza said softly, "We'll find her."

xXx

Lust and Gluttony sat under the shade of a large pine tree in the deep forest near the small town of Seele.

"Lust, I'm really hungry now. Trees don't taste yummy," Gluttony whined as he rubbed his large stomach. The two homunculi had stopped to strategize their next move- well, Gluttony had collapsed out of what he called 'starvation', and Lust had taken the oportunity to plan her next move against the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Well then, why don't we go and meet up with Deceit and Envy? I'm sure they'll enjoy watching you prepare your lunch." Lust said wickedly.

Gluttony stood up, a twisted smile spread across his face. "Yes, meet up with the others."

xXx

Deceit, Envy and Wrath walked down the road. They had changed their clothing in order to blend in with the human passersby.

"You mean that the all-powerful Soul Alchemist lives in that crap hole of a town Seele?" Wrath asked with a laugh. If the Soul Alchemist was so powerful, why did she choose to settle in such a small and unpopular place?

"Yes. I found it shocking that she chose Seele as her home, but she said that the peacefullness of the people 'cleanses the soul'." Deceit replied.

"It's too bad we don't havesouls to be cleansed." Envy said quietly as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Not to worry, Envy. Soon enough, we'll be human- once our Master has a Philosopher Stone with renewed power." Deceit said as two figures came into view.

"Why hello there, Deceit." Lust said quietly as Gluttony trudged on behind. He was groaning and rubbing his stomach, obviously hungry.

"Lust," Deceit replied simply. She didn't really care for the homunculus.

"So, what are you three up to?" Lust asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"We're just out for revenge," Envy said as he shook the large bag he had in his hands.

"Gluttony here is hungry; care to grab him some lunch along the way?" Lust asked as Gluttony stepped forward, a wild look in his eyes.

"Of course. We need someone to get rid of the bodies of those townsfolk." Deceit replied noncalantly as the group started back on their walk. Soon, the small town of Seele came into view.

"Do we have our supplies?" Wrath asked, a wicked smile playing across his lips.

"Flint, Steel, Kerosine, all here." Envy said slyly as he dug through his bag.

"Wonderful," Deceit said as she stared at the bustling town, "We'll set anything and everything the Soul Alchemist cares for up in flames."

xXx

For an entire day, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye had walked through the town, eyes peeled for any sign of Roy's sister.

"This is proving to be quite frivolous," Roy sighed as they finished their thirtieth circuit through the area. "I can't believe I was so wrong."

"Don't beat yourself up, Roy." Riza said as she turned to face him. "It's not your fault she's not here. It just means we need to keep looking."

Roy smiled and kept walking, Riza hot on his trail. As the two continued to walk, Riza began to get nervous.

"Do you smell that?" She asked as she looked around for the source of the smell.

"I do," Roy answered. He didn't like this at all. "It's smoke."

The townspeople stopped what they were doing. A quiet murmur made it's way throughout the town- they could also smell it.

"Fire!" A man shouted as he ran down the street. "Run!"

The people turned to look the way he'd come from- flames were approaching at an unfathamable speed, engulfing every building they came in contact with.

"Riza," Roy began as he slipped his Ignition Cloth gloves on, "I want you to take cover- I think it's time I turn up the heat."

xXx

"Wow, you're pretty good," Rina said with a smile as she watched Alphonse practice Archery. Edward leaned against a nearby tree sulking.

'_And here comes the praising,' _He thought as he rolled his eyes.

"I think you might even be good enough to try my Alchemy method." Rina said as she grabbed her own bow from the case she'd brought along. Edward's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"What?" He spluttered. "Why can't you teach me?"

"Can you hit a bullseye?" Rina asked. Edward froze.

"Pfft, of course," He laughed. He'd hoped, that for a change, he'd be just as good as his bluff.

"Then give it a try," She said as she stepped aside. Edward grabbed the small bow he'd made and walked over to the others. He knocked an arrow and pulled it back. _'Moment of truth,' _He thought as he fired the arrow. He hit a bullseye. "Yes!" He cried.

"Edward," Rina said as she put her hand on her hip,

"Yeah?" He replied.

"That wasn't your arrow." She said as she walked over and plucked the arrow from the target.

"Then whos was it?" He asked.

"It was mine- yours is down there." Rina said as she pointed at the ground with the end of her bow. He looked down. He had dropped the arrow- it's tip was stuck in the dirt. He'd simply pulled back the string and let go.

"Just perfect," He muttered as he grabbed it up.

"You can watch us, if you like." Al said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Fine." Ed replied as he leaned against another tree, watching intently.

"The first step to using my special method is changing the way you think." Rina said. It was only step one, and Al was already starting to get confused. What did changing the way you think have to do with Alchemy?

"Instead of thinking of the arrow as an extention of your power, think of it as an extention of your soul." She explained. "We are all connected to the universe, Al. If we ask the universe to allow us to use our spiritual energy in unique ways, it might just respond."

"Enough with the spiritual stuff already," Edward said. "Science proves there's no such thing as 'spiritual power'."

"Then how do you explain this, Edward Elric?" Rina asked him. "How do we, as human beings, have the capacity to channel such strong energy for our Alchemy? Science has 'proven' that our physical forms were not created with the strength to withstand the power that flows through our veins when we transmute things. What do you say to that?"

Edward was silent. Maybe there was truth to what she said.

"There is more to this world than you think, Edward. Science can't explain everything." Rina said as she turned back to Alphonse. He was astounded. He hadn't heard anything like that before. "Watch closely, Al." Rina said as she knocked an arrow. She drew it back, and closed her eyes. As she did, Al could see the glow of the transmutation circles on her arm start to glow. The light seemed to travel to the rest of the circles, including the ones on her leg, until every one of them shone brilliantly. "Watch as I combine Soul and Science." Rina said softly as a large transmutation circle appeared at the tip of the arrow. Rina aimed it at a large rock and fired it. The transmutation circle in front of the arrow flashed brightly as it struck the rock. Edward and Alphonse watched in amazement as the rock started to change it's shape. It slowly morphed into a humanoid figure.

'_How is this possible?' _Edward asked himself as he watched, wide eyed.

The figure stood up, and ever so slowly, it began to gain the features of a human. Stone turned to skin, and the two gaping holes in it's head were replaced by two brown eyes.

"Oh my god," Edward whispered as he slowly walked up to his brother. "She made- she made _you._"

"Somewhat correct, Edward." Rina replied as she walked up to the boy she'd created. "This is an imitation of what Al would have looked like at his current age- if he were in a flesh and blood body. I asked the universe to show me an image of who he'd be if you two hadn't attempted the impossible." She placed her hand on the boy's shoulder- everything was perfect, down to the last thread of the boy's clothing. "This stone has been changed to look and feel like the real thing, but it really isn't. The best way to describe this boy is an unanimated homunculus."

"This is just crazy," Alphonse murmured. He was absolutely baffled. "Can you animate him?"

"I could," Rina replied as she gently squeezed the boy's shoulder. He fell limply to the ground. "But the consequence for it would be very great." Rina brushed the hair out of the boy's eyes, and away from his forehead. Just above his brow, was what appeared to be a small transmutation circle. "I need to give something in return; a life for a life. I'm not prepared to kill someone for this demonstration." Suddenly, she froze.

"Rina, what's wrong?" Edward asked.

"There's smoke- rising from the town! Someone started a fire!" Rina cried in horror. "Oh, this is bad, really bad." She said worriedly as she got up off the groung. As she stood up, her finger brushed the transmutation circle on the boy's forehead. It immediately started to glow.

"Uh, Rina," Edward said in concern as he stared at the transmutation circle- which was now glowing extremely bright.

"Oh, this isn't good," Rina said as she backed away from the boy.

"What's going to happen now?" Al asked.

"That's the problem- I don't know." She replied. "I haven't done anything exactly like this before." The three backed away from the boy as he stood up.

"What in all hell is happening?!" Edward asked as he stared at the boy in awe and fear. The transmutation circle stopped glowing, and he watched as the boy looked up.

"I think this might have to do with the extra energy we absorbed from Deceit's fake Philosopher Stones..." Rina theorized. "Taking in that energy might have been a blessing in disguise. Equivalent exchange must've taken that from us instead of our lives, but ended up attaching some poor soul to that body..."

"W-where am I?" The boy stuttered as he rubbed his temples. He froze at the sound of his voice. It wasn't his. "What happened to me?" He asked as he looked down at himself.

"We can explain," Rina said as the boy looked at her.

"Rina?" He asked in awe.

"Who are you?" She asked as she walked up to him. The soul of the person inside of that body must've known her at one point.

"You taught me Alchemy for a few months when you first arrived here. I died- at least I think I did- in the fire." He replied nervously as he pointed in the direction of the town. "I'm Adam Parker- at least, that's who I think I am." He said as he looked down at himself.

"Adam?" Rina exclaimed in shock. "Oh, this is _really _bad."

"I think you pushed your luck a little too far this time, Rina." Alphonse said nervously.

"I think I did, too." Rina replied as she turned to Adam. "I hope you're ready for another lesson, because there's a whole crap load of explaining for me to do."

xXx

"Ah, the warmth of the fire- isn't it just amazing?" Envy asked Wrath as they ran through the town, setting fire to as many buildings as possible.

"Oh, believe me, it is." Wrath laughed as he watched several children try to dodge the flames.

"Now boys, don't get too carried away," Deceit called from atop a roof. With her were the corpses of the seven children who had tried to run. "Gluttony likes his sushi raw- don't cook it too much." She laughed as she looked down at the bodies before her.

"You make me sick to my stomach," An unfamiliar voice said to her. She turned around to see Roy Mustang.

"And who are you?" Deceit asked.

"The one who'll avenge the death of these innocent people!" Roy yelled. As he prepared to burn Deceit to ash, he was hit with a wave of memories.

"That face," He murmured, "Mother?"

xXx

Ed, Al, Rina and Adam stood together, discussing how they'd ended up in this situation.

"... And with the last of his strength, Edward attached my soul to a suit of armor." Al finished as he lifted off his helmet, showing Adam his Bloodseal.

"This is wild," Adam said as he absorbed everything he'd heard. "So, I guess this means I'm a dead kid stuck in a stone body- and on top of that, it's just like Al's old body?"

"If you want to put it bluntly, yeah." Edward replied.

"This really _is _bad," Adam said as he walked off after Rina, who had started walking towards the town. The fire in her eyes was intense.

"Come on, you two- she's not going to wait up for you." Adam called as Edward and Alphonse ran after them.

"There's going to be nothing left of it!" Rina shrieked when she saw how much damage had been done already. She scanned the scene for any sign of survivors. She saw none.

"What in the world- how could they survive the heat?" Adam asked as he pointed to two women who stood on the roof of one of the buildings.

"They're not human," Edward growled, "They're homunculi." Adam looked at him like he was crazy- no one had successfully created a homunculus before- but then again, he was in a body made of stone- that looked and felt just like flesh.

"They possess superhuman abilities- that's partly why they aren't being affected. Someone also gave them a crap ton of incomplete Philosopher Stones to keep them strong." Alphonse added.

"Then I guess we'd better stay strong ourselves if we want to put out the blaze," Adam said as he found an opening in the flames. He sprinted in and beckoned for the others to follow.

"The heat is insane in here," Edward said as the four of them ran through the maze of burning buildings.

"Tell me about it. It's too hot to transmute anything into water- it would just turn into steam." Rina growled.

"Brother, look!" Al called as he pointed to a moving shape in the distance. As it neared, they realized it was Envy.

"Why hello, beautiful." He said to Rina, who merely smirked.

"I'm flattered that you think I'm pretty, but you should know that I still don't have any interest in dead boys." She said.

"Oh, well that's too bad," Envy said as a sadistic smile spread across his face. "Because if you had been, your little friend Adam wouldn't have had to be put into such an uncomfortable position."

Rina spun around- Wrath had transmuted his hand into a long blade, and had it up against Adam's throat.

"One wrong move and he gets to die." Wrath sneered as Adam pleaded with his eyes for help. Envy stepped around the group so he could stand behind Wrath.

"Back away, and we'll let him go." Envy said. The group backed away from the two homunculi, and watched as another shape emerged from the flames. To Rina's horror, it was Deceit, who walked up to Envy and Wrath.

"I wonder how the blood of this boy will spill when we slit his throat," Deceit began, "Will it trickle out, or will it spatter all over? Why don't we find out."

Adam closed his eyes tight as Wrath slid his blade against his throat. All that could be heard was the sound of metal on stone.

"What- impossible!" Wrath shrieked as he moved his blade away, giving Adam just enough time to duck away.

"Maybe having a body of stone _isn't _so bad," He said as he turned to face Wrath. "Lights out, buddy." He said as he punched Wrath in the head. Wrath screeched in pain as he was thrown a ways away by the force of a stone hand hitting his head. Adam looked down at his fist- it was completely unscathed.

"Okay, _that _was awesome!" He said with a smirk.

"Oh, you're definitely going to pay!" Deceit cried as she scanned the ground for a weapon. Near a burning shop, she found a large knife. She grabbed it up, and it shattered.

"What good is a shattered knife?" Adam scoffed. Rina gulped in fear.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough." Deceit sneered as the shards rose from the ground, each becoming a knife five times bigger than the original. "This isn't even the extent of my power."

Deceit raised her hand and pointed towards the group. The knives whizzed through the air towards them.

"Too easy," Edward laughed as he clapped his hands together. He slammed his hands to the ground, and several walls of stone appeared in front of the knives- but to Edwards' dismay, they simply flew over the walls.

"If someone doesn't do something, we'll be dead meat!" Alphonse cried. Rina stared at Deceit- she had started running towards the group. Then, she remembered one very important fact- a homunculus' weakness.

"Come one step closer, and you're toast!" Rina shouted. Deceit, and the knives stopped.

"And what will you do if I 'come one step closer'?" Deceit asked.

"I'll use _this_!" Rina growled as she pulled a small box from her pocket. She slowly lifted the contents out of the box- they were several locks of dark hair. Deceit's eyes opened wide. She was paralyzed.

"That's right- if you come near the remains of whoever you were meant to replace, you're weakened, aren't you?" Rina growled. "It just so happened that I had a couple locks of my mother's hair- man, family traditions can be so weird."

"Little brat, we'll be back." Envy growled as he grabbed Deceit and Wrath. The knives fell to the ground as they left.

"Can we get out of here now?" Alphonse asked as a building collapsed some ways away. "We won't be able to survive if we don't!"

"Good point," Edward said as he looked for a way out. "Oh, you won't believe our luck," He growled. "There isn't an exit, and there isn't enough room to perform any Alchemy!"

"Or is there?" A familiar voice said. In an instant, the flames seemed to be sucked into oblivion. The group turned around to see Roy Mustang and Riza hawkeye walking towards them. In Roy's hand was a small orb of fire.

"Mustang?!" Edward and Alphonse exclaimed. What was _he _doing there?

"Who?" Adam asked. He felt extremely stupid not knowing who this guy was.

"Roy?" Rina asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's really you?" Roy nodded- he was too happy to speak. Rina slowly started walking toward him, then breaking into a fast sprint.

"I missed you so much, brother!" She cried as she ran into his arms, the two hugging tightly.

"Brother?!" Ed exclaimed. "This can't be happening- she's so nice, and he's so..."

"Believe it, Edward." Riza said with a smile.

"I guess it makes sense," Adam thought aloud, "Since they look alike an' all..."

"Shut up," Edward growled. "Just shut up."

"I'm so sorry I left you all alone," Roy said quietly as he looked into Rina's eyes. "I thought help had already gotten to you."

"I was fine in the end- I'm just glad I got to see you again." Rina said softly as she looked into her brother's eyes.

"And I'm never going to abandon you again- we're going to central as of now." Roy said.

"What?" Rina said in shock. "I _can't _go- I have to stop those homunculi!"

"Yes you can," Roy said sternly, "You're coming with us, and that's an order."

"I'm not in the army, Roy!" Rina snapped at her brother. She pulled herself out of his grip and walked back towards her friends. "I made a huge mistake five years ago. My friends got pulled into it. It's my job to mend what's been broken- and I won't let you stop me."

Alphonse was impressed. He could tell that Rina, in the short time they'd known each other, had grown a whole lot as her own person.

"Fine," Roy said quietly. He had tears in his eyes, but he wouldn't let himself cry. "Stay here. I have faith in you, Rina. Once you mend what's been broken, promise me you'll come back. Promise me I won't lose you again."

"I promise." Rina said as she hugged her brother one last time. Roy turned and walked away, but Riza hesitated.

"Aunt Riza?" Rina called. Riza Hawkeye smiled at Rina and turned to follow Roy.

"Take care, Rina. I know you'll succeed." She said as she disappeared behind one of the few remaining buildings.

"I will." Rina said softly as Al put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find Deceit," He said as they stared out at the demolished city. "We'll mend what's been broken- and we'll all live through it." He said as Rina leaned into him.

"I hope we do," She said quietly, "I hope we do."

xXx

In the center of the demolished town, two large chunks of a wall had fallen over and buried Lust and Gluttony- a result of Roy's fight with Deceit.

"We'll Gluttony, it looks like you won't be getting any lunch today," Lust said quietly as she and her fellow homunculus weaved their way out from under the wall, watching the group of young adults walk away. "Deceit, Wrath and Envy didn't leave you anything to eat."

"But I'm so hungry, Lust!" Gluttony whined as loud as he could.

"Don't worry; we'll leave them to fight on their own- we'll get you something to eat ourselves." Lust said as the two turned around and walked into the glowing sunset, leaving the ruins of Seele behind them.


End file.
